


It's Woven In My Soul

by dorkpatroller



Series: My Kingdom Come (Series) [3]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Christmas Party, Getting Together, M/M, SOME CANOODLING, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, cute first dates, drinking typical to a party, my kingdom come, there's a little porn in here it's not liek full blown explicit but, ur gonna see a little
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2018-11-22
Packaged: 2019-08-27 16:43:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16706146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dorkpatroller/pseuds/dorkpatroller
Summary: "Are you shitting me?" has always kind of been Odin's favorite and least favorite words. On one hand he's bound by fate and supposedly stuck with whoever is the one who put them there on his arm. On the other hand he's been dying to meet them, dying to know who his soulmate is and maybe find out why THAT was the first thing they ever said to him.--An accompaniment to My Kingdom Come, which follows Odin and Niles during that fic.





	It's Woven In My Soul

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Utensils](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Utensils/gifts).



> This was a commission and it turned out huge and I LOVED writing it so thank you so much for commissioning me, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Owain felt out of place at this party the whole evening. It's not that he didn't want to be there, per se, but that he didn't know where to fit in. Usually, when he went to parties he was with Severa or Inigo. He could hang close to their sides and laugh and joke with them. This time Severa isn't here (which explains why he managed to get himself drunk so quickly) and Inigo is… well, he's otherwise engaged. 

Making new friends has always been hit and miss with Owain, but that’s alright! He figures he can try to be social. He’s met Elise, obviously. She’s run off somewhere and he’s lost her in the crowd. He spent some of his time talking with Leo and Silas. He’s learned by now that they’re brothers-in-law and that they typically aren’t the drinking sorts.

Owain isn’t sure if he would call himself the drinking sort but he’s drinking right now. And it’s dangerous, too—everything he’s had so far is spiked and spiked  _ hard _ . Mm, but the eggnog is his favorite, so far. He’s got a plastic cup of it held close to himself while he walks and weaves through the crowd. Silas and Leo are fun, but they also already have plenty of friends and family here to talk to. Owain just thinks maybe he needs to find Inigo again. Sure, he’s with his soulmate, but Inigo would understand. Owain isn’t used to being the odd man out. He’s used to being perceived as  _ odd _ but he’s almost always got a friend at the ready to remind him he’s not lonely.

This party makes him feel lonely. There are mistletoes planted everywhere, nefarious bundles of holly leaves and berries where everyone in the world seems to have someone to kiss but him. And that’s just fine! Owain isn’t even necessarily asking for someone to kiss him. He’s just asking to have someone to  _ talk to _ . If that means being the third wheel to Inigo’s Christmas-y date, then that’s what he’ll be.

He swears he thinks he hears someone call out his name. Specifically, he thinks he hears Elise call for him, but it's a phantom of his own mind because when he spins on his heel to find her he doesn't. Instead, catastrophe strikes.

Owain bumps right into another man’s chest with an ungodly yelp—which wouldn’t be an issue except for the eggnog in his hand. The whole cup turns and spills. Thankfully, Owain supposes, it spills on  _ him _ . Every creamy, white drop splatters down his own sweater and leaves the other party unscathed. Hopefully.

Owain is just watching the stain sink into the red, knit sweater. It’s awful. It stands out. There’s no hiding  _ this one _ . He sucks in a breath. It’s cold, too. His skin feels sticky and damp. This is a small crisis. But he forces a smile on his face and glances up from the mess and instead to the man who caused it.

Oh, he’s gorgeous. His eyes are piercing right through Owain like arrows meant for his heart precisely. He’s got hair so light it twinkles like starlight, his jaw is square and his complexion is flawless and… woo-wee, Owain almost changes his mind about not wanting to be kissed. This guy could kiss him. This guy is the most outstanding, gorgeous man ever to stand in a room of boring and plain people. Owain the  _ most _ boring and plain, by comparison! He swallows twice but he feels like his entire heart leaped into his throat. The poor man looks startled that he bumped into him. He lifts his hand and sets it on the underside of Owain’s elbow, to steady him. He could swear that touch alone was a fire crawling up from his arm and straight into his heart, into his very soul.

Nervous laughter bubbles up from him because he can’t think of anything to say. What do you say to the most beautiful human to ever grace God’s green Earth? The answer is… literally anything but what he says. “Aha! Sincerest regrets, friend, but I suppose it was the will of powers beyond my own that I should know you now. You’re alright, or were your clothes tainted as well?”

Well, Owain supposes, there was no point in pretending he was a ‘normal’ person anyway. If he just said ‘oh sorry, are you okay’ it would have been boring. He would have never stuck out in this man’s mind, to be remembered forever. Now at least he’ll be remembered forever as that weirdo he met at a party.

“Are you  _ shitting me _ ?” The man asks. Owain’s entire brain fizzles out. Those are the words. Those are  _ his _ words. The words on his arm. But this couldn’t be real, could it? Just a coincidence, no doubt, because a man this marvelous has no business associating himself with someone like Owain. They’ll have nothing in common. He’s  _ far _ out of Owain’s league. So, so far.

The thing about it is he’s heard people say that before. It’s not an uncommon phrase, after all. He’s never felt like his lungs collapsed and like his heart was going to fly up his throat and out of his body. Is the buzzing in his brain from the drinks or from his  _ soulmate _ ?

He knows he should just apologize and pick up the plastic cup from the floor. Instead, he looks down at his arm and tugs his sleeve up. He looks at the marking on his arm. It feels like it's on fire right now, but those same words are right there. Is this  _ his _ handwriting? Is this his soulmate?

“Yikes. That’s a pretty embarrassing marking to have.”

Owain looks back up at him. He’s looking down at the mark on Owain’s arm, too. His voice is… silky. Smooth like milk chocolate melting on Owain’s tongue. He never wants to forget it. This is it, this is real. This is his moment to meet his soulmate… and he’s afraid, but at least it’s something of a distraction from feeling like no one was paying attention to him. Now the whole, unforgiving party is staring at them.

“Yours must have been embarrassing too,” Owain says. Not a whole breath later his soulmate reaches out and takes his hand. Owain looks down at it. They’re holding hands, it’s such a simple gesture, but it makes his knees feel weak briefly. It also makes a touch of confidence flutter within his chest. This can only be a good sign, right? “Be warned—I may not be able to quell the rage in my sword arm long, should you… Where are we going?”

He’s being gently pulled in the direction of the foyer. “C’mon, dork. I’m gonna go find you a dry shirt.”  _ Oh _ . Owain would like that. A dry shirt. In this turn of events, he nearly forgot that his is ruined. "You know, I  _ really _ have a thing for blondes.”

They’re nearly at the stairs when Owain suddenly remembers  _ he’s  _ blonde, and that he’s being flirted with. He clears his throat. “Who… What’s your name?”

“Niles,” he says back. Owain’s chest seizes up again.  _ Inigo _ . He knew. He knew this whole time and  _ that’s why  _ he was so insistent that the two of them meet at this party. And no wonder! Owain is amazed he was able to keep it a secret this long.

Owain follows Niles up the stairs, but Niles hesitates halfway up. “Are you going to tell me yours, then, or are you trying to be mysterious?”

“Wh—Oh! Owain. Er—I’m—That’s my name.” Well hell. That wasn’t graceful. It’s just that he’s so baffled by how Inigo could have kept this a secret at all, and if he’s upset that he did or not. But then Niles hums and Owain’s heart melts with it.

“Ah. You’re Inigo’s brother. I knew that boy was up to something.” They turn around the banister at the top of the stairs and begin to head down a long hall. “He didn’t want me out flirting with anyone else tonight, you see.”

Inigo is a good brother and Owain isn’t mad. He’s decided right away, now that he knows he was doing his best to make Niles save himself for Owain. He needs all the help he can get—Niles is way too pretty for Owain, after all. “Do you live here?”

“Hm? Oh, no. but I keep some clothes in Leo’s old room for emergencies.” Niles pulls Owain through a door and they find themselves in a bedroom. Owain looks around for a moment… but then Niles steps right in front of him and his eyes are pulled right back to this gorgeous man. He reaches out and settles his hands on Owain’s waist. Slowly he slides them up and down his sides… and then he nods his head. “I think one of my shirts will fit you.”

What in the world was that about? His head feels like it’s going to  _ burst _ if Niles keeps touching him. It’s not normal. The contact is like sparks of electricity coursing right through his bloodstream. Niles turns around and heads to a dresser… and when he comes back he has a pair of sweatpants and a clean sweater.

Owain steps out of his shoes and changes pants quickly enough. He’s not super embarrassed about it—he’s just changing clothes and it’s not like he’s naked. Once he’s got the clean pants on he pulls the sweater up and over his head. He reaches out his hand to take the clean sweater from Niles… but Niles pulls it back.

Just for a moment, it seems. Niles reaches out with his other hand and trails his fingertips along Owain's arm. The pads of his fingers move over the letters of his own handwriting, trace over them intimately and Owain shivers.

This… is numbing. His mind, his body, everything feels fuzzy and warm while Niles touches him where their souls are connected. He tilts his eyes down to watch... but then ultimately he looks back up at Niles with concern written on his face. “Is something wrong..?”

Niles shakes his head gently from side to side. He passes Owain the clean sweater. It smells like the cedar dresser it’s been kept in, but Owain doesn’t mind. He’s just thinking about that mark on his arm and the heat that blossomed inside of him when Niles touched it. He’s barely finished tugging the new shirt down past his belly button when he asks, “Where’s yours?”

“On my back,” Niles answers. He bends down to scoop up Owain’s dirty clothes and set them in a small hamper. Owain wonders if there’s any chance they can wash and dry those before he leaves. He would hate to have to borrow these for too long.

“May I see it?”

Niles hesitates. Owain can see him do it, but he’s not sure if he wants to bring it up. He’s sure he can understand the feeling. It doesn’t matter much anyway—Niles pulls the shirt up over his head. He moves the shirt entirely out of the way, but keeps his arms through it and just holds it in front of him while Owain looks at his back.

His fingers drift up to Niles’s skin. His handwriting is right there. The words he said,  _ all of them _ are right there. It’s like a paragraph of lettering down his back, and Owain almost feels guilty about it. “Before all this,” Owain mumbles, “I didn’t really care to believe in soulmates.”

“Sorry to ruin the illusion,” Niles mutters. He sounds upset. Maybe he misunderstood. “If the idea of it bothers you then you don’t have to stay.”

Oh. He  _ did _ misunderstand. Owain reaches for Niles’s shoulder and pushes on it until Niles relents and turn around to face him properly. “Hey, hey,” Owain says softly. Niles begins to fix his shirt and pull it back down over his head. “You are an exception to the rule,” He says softer. “And I do want to stay, I—!”

Niles kisses him. He just kind of interrupts him mid-sentence. It’s startling! Owain has kissed people before, he really has, but he's never felt like this. His knees feel like they're going to give out and so he pulls Niles backward until his legs bump into the bed and he can just  _ sit _ . But they don’t sit, not really. They keep kissing. Maybe it’s the alcohol or maybe it’s the euphoria, but Owain lets Niles crawl over him on the bed.

Owain’s lips are numb and probably swollen by the time Niles slides down onto the bed beside him. His heart is beating out of his chest and he sucks in a breath of air because he feels like he hasn’t had a chance to breathe in hours… but surely it hasn’t been that long. Mere minutes, but every second was long and drawn out and laced with the magic of kissing his soulmate. He turns onto his side and Niles is right there, looking sleepy but also like he would be willing to pick up right where they just left off in their kissing. “Niles,” Owain whispers, “I want to learn all there is to know about you.”

“Funny you should say that. The feeling’s mutual.” Niles’s hand is warm and heavy when it comes up to lay along Owain’s face. Pushed mostly back into his hair, Niles plays with the short ends of it gently. “I don’t usually tell people my life story on the first date.”

“I won’t make you,” Owain says. He doesn’t want to scare him off! “You don’t have to, it’s just that…”

Niles drags his thumb along Owain’s lower lip. “Shh, quiet down, luv. You’re the exception to the rule.”

…

Niles doesn't know if he's awake or asleep at first when he hears the knock on the door. He's been tangled up in a pile of limbs and lazy kisses with Owain since they left the party. That was hours ago. They've just been talking. Owain told him about his family. About covering up the marking on his arm his whole life. About his mothers, about his brothers. About the book he’s writing, about the movie deal he’s so excited about, but he’s not sure it’s going to go through so he hasn’t even told his family.

Niles told Owain about himself, too. He talked about his job. Saving kids from the life he almost lived. He talks about Leo, about being part of this family, about never feeling like he deserved it. It’s overwhelming. They met a few hours ago but it feels like he’s known him forever—is this what soulmates are supposed to feel like? Like he can't hide anything like he can just speak his mind and it's safe and secure? 

Kissing Owain is brand new but it feels like he’s done it a million times. It’s  _ comfortable.  _ It's easy. It's what he wants to spend the rest of the night doing, but after the knock on the door, Leo just pushes it open. "Oh—you're dressed. That's a pleasant surprise," He says. Niles snorts. Sure, they probably all assumed that the two drunk soulmates who met for the first time would rush right up the stairs and sleep together. They didn't. Not yet anyway.

He just smiles and props himself up on his elbow to look at Leo. “Come in,” He teases. Leo rolls his eyes.

“Xander’s staff was given the rest of the night off, he’s already gone to bed with Inigo, Elise fell asleep, and I can’t even  _ find _ Camilla. We need help cleaning up after the party. Care to join us?”

It’s not really a request. Leo wants Niles to help because, well, they’re family and that’s what family does. They clean up after Xander’s party while he probably gets laid. He pushes himself up from his spot on the bed and straightens out his shirt when he stands up. “Yeah, yeah,” He says.

Owain looks a lot like he might fall asleep. Like when a dog is laying on a pillow and their eyes are drooping but their own tail wagging keeps them awake. He looks like he could fall asleep  _ but _ he’s too interested in what’s going on. He pushes himself up into a sitting position. “You can just sleep,” Niles coos at him.

But he doesn’t. He stands up and shakes his head slowly. “I’ll clean! It will go quicker if we work together.”

“My sentiments exactly,” Leo says. He turns and guides them back down the stairs and Niles watches Owain nearly trip and fall… but he catches himself. Silas and Corrin are down there picking up dishes and carrying them into the kitchen. Sophie and Forrest are both curled up together, sleeping on the lounge of a sofa.

Making the guests clean seems kind of wrong, but Owain seems willing to help and so Niles doesn’t argue. He just lets him have a trash bag to pick up some garbage and heads into the kitchen with Leo. Leo is washing dishes, and he’s got Niles beside him drying them off.

"So," Leo says when he's sure Owain is out of the kitchen. "That's your soulmate. Do you like him?"

“So far he seems nice,” Niles murmurs. So far he really likes Owain.

“Do you think he’s your forever?”

“I don’t know, Leo. We just met  _ tonight _ . What do you want from me?” Of course, Leo is curious. Niles has spent his entire life wondering about this dumb marking. Camilla and Elise have had it memorized for ages. Leo has tried to decipher it over and over. He always said he thought it meant Niles would bump into someone and they would spill something. He was right, too. It always made Niles a little more aware when he was carrying liquids around, of course. What if he bumps someone on purpose? What if he is too careful and doesn't bump into them after all?

Maybe that’s how fate plays its games. He wasn’t the one holding the glass.

“Of course, you’re right,” Leo says. He passes Niles a platter to dry. “It’s just that… I know how much you want this. You deserve it, Niles. Really. I simply want it to be perfect.”

Oh, Niles wants it to be perfect, too. He lowers his eyes to the pearly milk-glass platter that he’s drying off. “They say there’s less than half of a percent margin that your soulmate and you won’t work out in the end. What are the chances that I’m in that population?”

Leo shakes his head. He resumes washing dishes. “You’re not,” He says definitively. Niles is skeptical anyway. A soulmate… someone who is made for him, who loves him, who understands him… it seems unreal. The two of them finish washing dishes about half an hour later.

When they head back out into the room where the party was it’s clean. Sophie is gone—so are Corrin and Silas—and Owain is laying against the arm of the couch sleeping too. He’s got that bag of trash near him, still gently curled into his fingers, but the room is spotless.

Leo tries not to snort. “I suppose you should get him up to bed. He can sleep in my old room, I’m sure Xander won’t mind. I’ll take Forrest home to bed. Do you want a ride home?”

Niles… doesn’t want to go home. He’s not done getting to know Owain yet. He’s not ready to leave and let it all be a distant memory. He shakes his head no. “Nah,” he says, “I’ll be fine. Drive safe out in the snow.”

“Alright,” Leo says. He picks up his son from the sofa and turns to leave. Niles sits down on the arm of the couch near Owain and gently shakes his shoulder.

Owain wrinkles up his nose. He peeps open an eye at Niles and then he breathes out a tiny sigh. “You’re not a dream?”

“Never been called one before,” Niles says. He pulls on Owain’s arm until they both are on their feet. Owain sways gently against Niles. Almost like they're dancing, but clearly, they're not. "Can you walk?" 

“Mhm," Owain says, "I'm too drunk to drive home," He adds afterward.

“Oh, I know,” Niles doesn’t think anyone is sober enough to drive after a Vigarde party. But there's something beautiful about Owain at that moment. The way he leans into Niles for support. The way he slips his arms around his waist without a second thought.

Is this his future? Does this come with meeting his soulmate? Affection? Niles isn't usually so touchy but in this case… he welcomes it. He likes it. He likes the electricity that travels between Owain's fingers and Niles's skin. "Come on," He says, and then he pulls Owain up the stairs back to bed.

“Mm sorry,” Owain mumbles. Niles doesn’t know why he’s apologizing. He doesn’t say anything else on the subject, either. Maybe he just thinks he’s being a burden?

Quite the opposite. Niles crawls into bed and Owain joins him. He flicks off the lamp and Niles expects Owain to fall back to sleep a breath later. Instead, Owain rolls onto his side and presses forward until their chests are pressed together and his cold nose is tucked under Niles's chin, and he kisses the apple of his throat. “Do you feel like you’ve known me your whole life?” Owain whispers into his skin, like a spell. Niles nods his head. Yes, he does. He feels like Owain is a constant and that the rest of the world was just existing around him. It’s unsettling. Owain’s fingers curl up in Niles’s shirt and it’s all the cue Niles needs to kiss him again. Curled up under the blankets like this, it’s warm. Being together is warm. Kissing him is warm. It’s like they can’t get enough. The fire they started is burning too brightly for either of them to control, now.

Owain swings one of his legs over Niles and crawls up to straddle his hips. Niles is  _ hard _ . Owain’s body is a pleasant weight there, but it’s the farthest thing from what Niles is focusing on. He’s focusing on getting this idiot out of his shirt again. “Wanna see you," Niles whispers. Owain nods his head like he's agreeing. Like he understands. He peels the shirt off and drops it on the floor. 

Owain is all creamy skin and abs and freckles splattered anywhere they can touch. It’s absolutely delightful. Niles reaches out, lays his palm flat against Owain’s entire peck, likes the way it feels against his hand… and then Owain grips his wrist. “No fair,” He whispers.

Niles figures out what he means soon enough. He squirms out of his own shirt. Not a moment later Owain leans forward. He crawls over him on his hands and knees until their lips meet and the friction between them is gone. Instead, there's just a wave of want and heat so thick Niles is sure he could cut through it.

Their kisses become so much that Niles is sweating. Panting, gasping, moaning… and then Owain’s head lands heavy on his shoulder. Niles slides his hand up to hold the back of it. “Owain?” He asks, breathlessly.

Owain’s fingers reach up and pull very lightly at the hair at his nape. “Niles,” He whimpers, “I’m dizzy.”

“Lay down,” Niles whispers back. He pulls him down into his arms, into the sheets, and Owain breathes out a gentle sigh. They fall asleep.

…

Owain wakes up because  _ sunlight  _ is pouring in through the window. It’s like in a movie where a gorgeous woman might wake up from her sleep with perfect make up. But Owain looks like a mess and he’s mostly alarmed because he doesn’t immediately know where he is.

Niles’s arm is curled securely around his chest. Both of them are, crossed over him and keeping him warm and cozy. Niles. Niles, Niles,  _ Niles _ . Owain remembers Niles. He met his soulmate last night. Niles is curled around Owain like they’ve been cuddling the whole night, and he’s very distinctly hard. Owain can certainly feel that pressed against the back of his bare thigh. Ah—and that’s what makes him close his eyes again and take a deep breath in through his nose. He’s in his underwear. They’re sharing the bed. He can vaguely remember Niles’s fingertips sliding past his nipples. Is this real? Sure, he met his soulmate, but Owain didn't particularly think he was the type to jump right into bed with someone. Then again, he's never known the magic of soulmates before. All he knows right at this moment is that he's comfortable and warm and he's not even really all that bothered by the morning wood situation. He’s just listening to Niles breathe near his ear. He’s still asleep. In and out, slow breaths…

Then there’s a sharp knock on the door. Three raps, and then Niles startles and Owain  _ groans _ .

Oh, he didn’t realize he was hungover until he heard a noise. Suddenly, now, everything hurts. His head is heavy, there’s a pain like a knife between his eyebrows, and he’s a little queasy. His head is  _ throbbing _ and even though Leo annunciates clearly when he calls through the door, it seems like it takes an extra ten minutes for his brain to clarify what he said. “Get up! Forrest and I are here to take you to breakfast.”

Niles moans out a noise akin to  _ agony _ . He turns over, peels his body heat away unfairly, and he pulls a pillow over his face. Then, a second later, he seems to notice Owain is here with him… because his blue eyes turn just a little wide and he looks genuinely startled.

He has the prettiest eyes Owain has seen. Both of them—the one that’s clearly blind and all. He’s absolutely stunning and Owain’s tongue is thick in his mouth because he’s flustered. He’s realizing it all over again—this man is  _ way _ out of his league.

Leo’s footsteps disappear down the hall. Niles’s lips form a quiet whisper, each shape of the words he makes are slow. Precise. Perfect. “Did we..?”

Oh, he doesn’t remember either. Well at least Owain wasn’t the only one so stupidly drunk that he blacked out and woke up with a touch less virtue. His cheeks turn dark red and he shrugs his shoulders helplessly.

Niles’s cheeks are  _ also _ stained red. Dark, sweet red while he stares at Owain like he’s mortified. As he should be! He slept with a man far below what his standards should be. Owain isn’t sure what he expected would happen when he met his soulmate, but falling into bed that quickly wasn’t on the list. What if they never speak again after this? Owain doesn’t  _ want that _ .

“Breakfast sounds nice,” He says, but his voice is higher than he would like for it to be. He’s actually dreading going out to breakfast. He wants to lay back down in bed and  _ die _ , not go out with people he barely knows to listen to forks clinking against plates.

Niles clears his throat. “Yeah.”

When they make it downstairs Leo and Forrest are waiting for them. Owain hasn’t really met Forrest before, but he’s a cute kid. And Leo was fun to talk to the night before! Surely this won’t be so bad. And, admittedly, now that he’s on his feet and walking around, breakfast sounds  _ incredible _ . Food sounds good. Surviving the journey there is a whole separate story.

Owain thinks he actually got punched in the face last night. He would believe that someone hit him in the head with a whole bag of bricks. His whole  _ body _ is sore and achy. When he was dressing he noticed he has a giant hickey on his collar. He’s so wrapped up thinking about how awful he feels that, momentarily, he forgets what real life feels like. He almost doesn’t notice Niles bumping his hand with his own.

Owain’s cheeks burn pink under his freckles and he glances at Niles. Does he want… to hold hands? Is that what this is? But he doesn’t. He’s just passing pills into Owain’s hand. That’s  _ twice _ as romantic as holding hands anyway. Owain looks down at the little set of red pills in his palm. He’s only half sure he knows what they are… but he decides to take them anyway. Right then, without water or food because he’s that desperate to end his suffering.

Niles barely looks at Owain the whole way to the diner, and even through breakfast, everything feels surreal. Inigo texts him, asks him if he's okay, and he says he's fine. He's pretty sure he’s fine. He just wants to talk to Niles. More. He wants to be  _ around  _ Niles. But he also sort of doesn’t want to be chaperoned by Leo and his young son the whole time.

At least he feels better when he has food in his stomach. He feels better with his hands wrapped around a coffee mug. The small talk he makes with Leo and Forrest over breakfast is fine. It’s all fine. Then Niles smiles at him over his own cup of coffee and Owain forgets how to  _ breathe _ .

Is this what his life is going to be like now? Forever? One smile and he’s brought to his knees? He never thought it would be like this. Superman always had his Kryptonite, but Owain Dark? His weakness is a sideways smile and the dimple that forms at the corner of Niles’s mouth.

After breakfast, Leo offers to drop Niles off at his apartment so he's no longer stranded at Xander's house… and Owain is anxious that their time together will come to an end. Maybe Niles feels the same way, though, because he asks Owain to join him. Leo only looks at him skeptically for a moment before he hides it away behind indifference.

Niles’s apartment building is in the bad part of town. Not that Owain would say it out loud to him, but it’s pretty obvious. It’s the sort of place with a buzzer entry and bars on the windows and it’s not exactly pretty. Still, when they get inside Niles’s actual apartment is remarkably clean. It’s just a studio.

Owain isn’t sure what to do or say. He wanders around aimlessly. The door opens up into the sitting room. It’s small but there’s a half-sized wall dividing the bed from the living area. Barely. There’s a kitchen but there’s a similar half-wall dividing it from the main room. The only  _ real _ room is off to the side, which Owain can only assume is the bathroom. It’s small, but it’s a cozy sort of small he supposes.

“I’m sorry,” Niles says. Owain startles and turns around to face him.

“What?”

“For last night,” Niles says. Oh. Owain doesn’t know why he’s apologizing. It’s not entirely his fault, after all. “I didn’t expect things would go that far.”

“It’s just… The hand fate deals us, now and then,” Owain says. His voice feels too soft. He watches Niles go sit on the sofa… and he decides to join him. It’s better than awkwardly standing. “Did you ask me here merely to apologize?”

Niles snorts. “I thought perhaps we could talk a little more without Leo eavesdropping. He’s always been a touch more protective of me than necessary.”

“A noble friend will protect his brethren from heartbreak! Er—That is, I’m sure he only wants the best for you.”

Their conversation tapers. There’s silence. Owain has always hated silence, always tried to fill it. For a second now, however, he doesn’t. He just counts the breaths he can hear Niles take. He doesn’t want to waste a moment. He doesn’t want to leave.

“You know, I don’t remember how the night ended last night, but I do remember laying in bed talking with you,” Niles says.

Owain smiles, despite the reminder that he embarrassed himself. At least neither of them remember it. It would be worse if Niles could recall and Owain was clueless. “Do you?” He asks in an amused voice. “You told me that  _ I _ was gorgeous. Do you recall saying that? I pale by comparison. You must have been trashed.”

“No,” Niles hums. “I meant every word of that.” He bumps Owain’s shoulder with his own. Owain can feel that cursed blush on his face again. How does he  _ do that _ ? He just flirts unapologetically like Owain deserves it or something.

Or maybe he’s being too hard on himself? After all, they say soulmates are made for one another. Maybe Owain is exactly the type of person Niles dreams of? Wouldn’t that be something? “Every word?” He asks. He turns his attention to Niles’s eyes. They’re lidded, he’s leaning just a bit closer… and Owain follows suit. He kisses the corner of Niles’s mouth… because he’s a coward and he’s not sure if he’s really allowed to kiss him properly again. After all, last night they  _ were drunk _ . Would they be allowed to make the same decisions completely sober?

Clearly, they are because Niles corrects him. He catches Owain under his chin and redirects his mouth right onto his own. "Every word," he mumbles into Owain's kiss. It sort of gets lost under his tongue.

…

It’s not like Niles doesn’t know a thing or two about soulmates. He’s got a whole minor in psychology, and soulmates are one of the most incredible, unexplained aspects of that study. He knows a lot about how the human mind works. There’s science, there’s a chemical reaction in the brain made by soulmates. What’s happening to them right now, what’s happening to  _ him _ right now, it's a telltale reaction. Years and years of waiting to meet that perfect, special someone… well, it's highly common for it to surface as irrational sexual frustration. 

What’s irregular about it is just how hard they’ve been trying to fight it. Owain is in his lap and every few kisses he seems to pull away like maybe, just maybe, this is the time they’ll stop. But it’s wordless how quickly he dives back in. His hips rock down against Niles’s where he can. He moans just  _ once _ and Niles forgets what self-control even feels like.

He can hardly think of anything except for his shattered memories of the night before. He can vividly recall Owain tugging on his shirt, asking him to remove it. So vividly that he wants to recreate it, but then Owain whispers like a ghost against his lips. “I don’t usually sleep with strangers.”

He says it with a smile so wide Niles can  _ hear it _ . He's literally part way through tugging upwards on the hem of Niles's shirt. He's coaxing Niles out of his sweater and just as the cool air of the apartment hits his chest, Niles chuckles. "Little late for that, luv."

He can practically see Owain swoon and _ that’s _ encouraging. He can’t remember last night. He doesn’t remember sleeping with Owain, but the evidence that they did is hard to dispute. Being drunk and waking up nearly nude with someone would be incriminating enough on its own. Being drunk on his  _ soulmate _ on top if it… well, Niles is only human. He can admit his own faults.

Owain tugs the sweater off of Niles altogether. He meets Niles’s gaze just as he drops it to the floor beside the sofa. “Maybe,” he says, “Maybe if I knew your last name?”

“My—what?” Owain rocks his hips down again and Niles digs his fingertips into Owain’s hips. He wants to pull him down harder. He likes  _ this _ quite a bit. It’s like he’s being teased, tortured in the gentlest way.

Owain kisses a haphazard trail from Niles’s jaw all the way down to his shoulder. “You won’t be a stranger anymore… and I’ll be sleeping with my soulmate and not a man I know nothing about. Foolproof, don’t you think? Owain McGuire—nice to meet you, again.”

Breathless. Niles is breathless when he laughs at that. Owain is an idiot. Nothing about exchanging last names makes this any better. They’re still practically strangers. But are they? He feels like he’s known Owain his whole life. He’s comfortable with him in ways that simply don’t make sense. “Bennett,” he says on the exhale. Before he can say much else Owain kisses him again, and he realizes that neither of them ever had any self-control in the first place.

“Do you believe in fate?”

Owain’s question bubbles up between them just as the last of their clothes have hit the floor. Just as he’s standing, perfectly nude in the middle of Niles’s apartment. He’s tugging on his wrists, coaxing him to move from this spot on the sofa. Niles follows him… because at this point he might follow this man to the ends of the earth. Nothing makes sense. Logic is gone. Owain pulls him back to the bed. Niles’s bed. Niles is more than a little inclined to join him.

"What sort of fate?" He digs around under his bed until he finds a half-empty bottle of KY that he's only a little ashamed to admit is hidden there. Once he has it in his hand he pours just enough over his fingers… and rubs them together to warm it up.

Niles doesn’t know what happened last night, but he knows what’s going to happen  _ right now _ . He might feel like he’s known Owain his whole life, but he hasn’t. He doesn’t know if he’s got a talent for this sort of thing. So he swings himself over Owain to straddle him… but he takes on the process of working himself open so that his new lover won’t have to.

Owain looks right from what Niles is doing and back up to his eyes… before he leans forward and grips his face in both of his hands. “Mmrrph,” Niles moans quietly. Owain kisses him twice as hard.

He could get used to this actually. Once they get one more bad choice out of their systems, that is. “Predetermined, prewritten, fate. Not only in soulmates, but in all that we do.” Owain tries to keep up his conversation between desperate kisses. Niles tries to maintain a safe level of oxygen between kisses and trying to finger himself. A conversation is an added layer of intricacy.

“Do you?” He counters, instead of trying to answer the question. Does Niles believe in fate? Well, soulmates are real. It's science. But he's not sure if  _ that _ classifies as fate. He’s just sure that he wants a dick in his ass in the next two minutes.

Owain’s hand, just one, slowly glides down and over Niles’s thigh. He drums his thumb against it, slowly. Casually. Their kisses slow just slightly. “I was afraid of it,” he says.

Niles is ready, but he hesitates because he can feel Owain tense up under him. He takes the opportunity to reach for the bottle and get more glossy lube for Owain. He clicks and unclicks the lid, a little nervously. “Afraid of little old me?”

“Afraid that I didn’t have a say,” Owain answers. Niles continues clicking the lid. Owain reaches out and overlaps his hand with his own. “I’m so thankful that Lady Fate never truly cared about my opinion.”

Niles smiles again. God, this idiot makes him smile so much. He can’t even help it. His face  _ hurts.  _ He’s had a dumb grin on all day. Maybe this is the rest of his life. Maybe he’ll fall in love fast and hard and with a man who makes him smile at the simplest, dumbest things. The next time the lid clicks open, Owain reaches for the bottle and Niles forgoes worrying about the future to worry about the very imminent  _ right now _ .

…

“Would you believe,” Owain says to Inigo while he cradles a can of soda between his hands, “that I’ve actually talked to him with our clothes on once or twice?” His face is red, Inigo has been teasing him, but Owain couldn’t care less. He’s excited to go out with Niles tonight. It’s New Years Eve. It’s going to be their first real  _ date _ . Sure, they rushed into things. They were moving too fast. They both recognized the signs. Niles told him he wanted to slow down and make it last, and Owain… agrees! He does.

“I know he’s nice. Nice enough that he’d probably understand if I had to go pick you up. Aren’t you supposed to be meeting Xander at nine? You should hurry up.” Owain isn’t trying to push his roommate out the door or anything, but he knows what tonight means for Inigo. Being kissed at midnight has been his dream since… well since as long as he knew that being kissed at midnight was a good omen, probably. Owain is happy for him. Watching Inigo fall in love has been weird. He’s been worried that he’s losing his best friend, that his brother is going to jump ship and leave him behind… but he knows that’s not true. Inigo is falling in love, but the bond they share is something stronger than that.

It’s why Owain would bail on his own date in a heartbeat to go rescue Inigo if he needed an out. He waves goodbye to Inigo as he ducks out the door wearing that cute jacket that Xander bought him for Christmas… and then Owain sits down at his desk. He could try to write, but it’s unrealistic. His knee is bouncing. Niles wanted to meet up. He said that taking him to the square would be fun, but that he could think of a place with a much better view. It sounds awfully like a romantic adventure, and it’s all Owain can think about. Writing is totally off the table.

Who can focus on that when the real world is more interesting, for once?

It’s just that… only ten minutes after Inigo leaves, he gets a text message. Niles says that something came up with his family, that he can’t make it. He’s sorry. Can they go out another time? Owain's heart sinks.

He hasn’t been rejected, of course. He trusts that Niles actually does want to go out on a date with him. Surely! It’s just that he was so looking forward to tonight. Fireworks in the sky, watching light bounce off of Niles's lips just before he leans in to kiss him… well, Owain has had a fantasy or two about it. So he stands up, leaves his phone untouched, and heads into the kitchen. He steps out of his shoes and leaves them in the doorway—exactly where one of them will trip over them later and he’ll get a lecture. He trades that can of soda for a small glass of wine.

If he’s having a night in he’s not going to waste it entirely. He looks at the messages on his phone again. They still say the same thing, unfortunately. He thought maybe if he gave them a chance to scramble themselves up and rewrite themselves they might say something more exciting.

He tells Niles they can reschedule, it’s alright.

Inigo comes home far too early. He’s soaked to the bone with snow and his eyes are red and puffy. He’s  _ hurt _ . He’s too cold. Owain forces him into a warm bath and it’s then that he figures out what happened. Xander dumped him. Stood him up, dumped him, cut ties with him entirely. Owain brushes his finger over a crack in Inigo’s phone screen.

He must have dropped it.

Inigo’s voice is numb when he speaks up again. “What happened to your date?” He chokes out. Owain turns his head to look at Inigo, pries his eyes away from the phone.

What happened to his date? Probably this. “Niles texted me and said something came up with his family. I guess maybe…” Maybe he knew. Maybe they all knew. But that doesn’t make sense. If Niles  _ knew _ Xander was going to break Inigo’s heart, why would he schedule a date in the first place? That would just be cruel. “Er… If you want me to break things off with him…”

Offering to break up with Niles for Inigo’s sake feels stupid. It’s entirely stupid. He feels wrong just  _ suggesting _ it. Thank goodness Inigo seems to feel the same way. “Wh…what? N-Niles? No, don’t. He doesn’t…. he doesn’t deserve that. You’re soulmates anyway, just… don’t break up with him on my account.”

Time passes so slowly in those moments. Owain is worried about his brother. His skin is cold. Every time he presses the back of his hand against his neck or his forehead he’s chilled. Is the water warming him up, or is he just cooling it down? He’s worried about more than the cold, of course. He’s worried about Inigo’s mental health. He’s worried that this is going to leave a deeper scar than he’s had in a while. “I just want you to warm up a little. You felt like ice. I’ll… go make some coffee, alright?”

Owain doesn’t mean to leave his brother alone in his time of need. It’s just that it doesn’t make sense. None of this makes sense. He tugs his phone out of his pocket and pushes the button to call Niles.

It’s only as it’s pressed between his shoulder and his ear that he realizes he’s never called him on the phone before. He’s always just texted him. He hasn’t actually heard his voice since the last time they were together, on Christmas Eve. Which, overall, was a wild day. It was the day that they went to breakfast with Leo and Forrest. The day that Niles showed him his apartment, the  _ second _ day they slept together, and the day that Owain officially asked Niles out.

_ “Owain?” _ Niles asks instead of saying hello. Owain starts to fill the coffee pot with water.

“What  _ happened _ ?”

_ “I don’t know. Elise called all of us freaking out and now she’s trying to get him to explain what’s going on, but he’s locked in his room.” _

Owain groans. “He dumped Inigo. That’s what happened. He stood him up—in public.”

_ “He what?”  _ Niles asks.

Owain thinks his hands are shaking. He pours the water into the back of the coffee maker and breathes in and out three times before he can finally speak again. “Why would he do that?”

_ “I don’t know. I don’t know why he did it or what’s going on, just that Elise is acting like it’s the end of the world and got the entire family involved. I can’t—I need to go. I’m sorry, tell him I’m sorry.” _

Owain scoops coffee grounds into the filter. Niles is silent a moment longer. Then he hesitates. Owain hesitates too. “Are you getting off the phone?”

_ “I don’t want to leave you alone.” _

Owain snorts, but any humor is dry. He flips the switch on the pot and it starts gurgling while it brews. “This is hardly about me. It’s my brother’s heart that’s been shattered.”

_ “You’re going to overthink it.” _

How can he tell? They’ve known each other a week. Owain smiles despite himself. “Undoubtedly! But I’ll have the promise of our rescheduled first date to keep me strong.” There’s no way they can date without Inigo and Xander resolving their differences. Inigo said he didn’t want them to break up on those grounds, but how can they not?

Owain can’t hurt his brother like that. And yet… he’s relieved when he hears Niles say,  _ “Maybe Saturday. I’ll text you.” _

…

Owain walks through the doors of destiny and to his first—and last—date with Niles. The atmosphere is casual. There’s trendy music, people laughing, at least one kid crying, and the distinct splatter of bowling pins being knocked down. It smells like nachos and pizza. He doesn’t think he’s been here since he was in college… but it’s nice. Niles is already here waiting for him. He’s already got a drink that came in a glass just a touch too small to be beer.

The lights in here are dark blues and purples and pink neon and they bounce off of Niles’s hair in a way that makes him seem kind of…otherworldly. As if he wasn’t already unjustly handsome as it is, that is. He stands up when Owain approaches him… and he leans close to kiss the apple of his cheek, just under Owain’s eye.

Owain thinks a touch of shock spreads over him, but not just that. Warmth. That comfort he felt when they met.  _ Magic _ . Niles is magic seeping into his skin and warming him from the inside out.

How is Owain supposed to call this off when Niles makes him feel like this?

“Niles,” He says. Niles hushes him.

“Let’s get your shoes.”

Bowling shoes. Because they’re supposed to go bowling. Owain nods his head. Okay. Fine. One date, and then after that he’ll tell Niles that they can’t be together like this until he knows Inigo is okay. It’s fine. They’ll be fine.

They pay their way and pick up their shoes and it’s as they’re seated at a small table by their lane that Owain really notices it. While Niles changes his shoes and puts on the ugly clown shoes that people bowl in, he just looks tired. Worried. It’s hidden underneath a façade of being alright. Just like Owain.

“Oh.”

Niles stops tying the blue and red shoes and sits up in his chair so he’s more eye-to-eye with Owain. “Oh?”

“You already know.” He knows Owain is going to tell him they can’t stay together. It’s written all over his face, actually, and Niles’s lips curl into a downward frown. He looks away from Owain. Owain looks at the speckled patterns on the table. “Niles, I,”

He stops because when he looks up Niles is typing names into the computer screen. “Wh—Wait! The name you bestow is of the utmost importance!”

Niles’s frown turns into a tiny smile. “That so? Then I’ll make it a good one.”

He types  _ ball whisperer _ . It’s obviously meant to be a dirty pun. It’s actually not a bad name. Owain snorts. “Is that me?”

“Of course it is.”

“Let me choose yours!”

Owain takes over the touchscreen. Niles grins at him, but his grin melts into a sideways, confused smile. " _ Moonlit Prince?” _

“You look like starlight in here,” Owain explains. He doesn’t mean to embarrass him, but Niles’s cheeks turn rosy and dark and he looks down at his drink before he clears his throat and smiles at Owain again.

“How do you sound so genuine when you say that?” He asks after a few moments of silence. He stands up to pick out a bowling ball. Owain follows him, right on his heels… and before he can reach for one of the balls on the rack Owain snatches his hand to hold.

“It’s because I mean it.”

Niles puffs out his cheeks and breathes a stream of air out of his mouth. “Okay. Well… I know you’ve been Mr. Romance since you walked in the door, but it’s time for us to fondle some balls.” As he says it he picks up one of the bowling balls and strokes his hand along it. Owain snorts. Niles drops it gently into Owain’s waiting hands. “Nice and smooth, don’t you think?”

“Are you going to do this the whole time?”

“You can count on it. Now go on, lover-boy. It’s your turn first.”

Owain flashes Niles a smile over his shoulder. “Prepare yourself to witness awe-inspiring technique! I call this one the Shinon  _ Strike _ .”

He’s actually only okay at bowling, but he’s done it enough times that he’s got a fair chance of actually knocking down the pins after he’s boasted about it. Niles folds his arms, crosses an ankle over his knee, and watches from his seat. Owain grins. He looks ready for a show!

So, of course, he has to add a little extra flair to this. It's a special move! He slides in a small, one footed twist on the slippery alley floor. Not as graceful as his brother could have pulled off, but we can't all be dancers. Some of us express power through the written word. Some of us use our talents to create names, weave stories, imagine things into reality. When he stops midway through the turn he's got his feet spread apart and determination set into his face. His shoulders are squared towards the lane. He throws. He  _ succeeds _ .

“What in the hell? If you fall I’m not saving you.”

The ball moves fast in a perfect line. Just a bit of hook to it, like Owain mentally willed it to move directly to the center. He’s  _ thrilled _ . Every pin crashes in an explosion almost, and Owain turns around to do a victory dance, but…

But Niles is  _ on top of him _ . He turns and his nose bumps right into Niles’s. He gasps. Niles kisses the tip of his nose while he’s too shocked to do anything about it. He sets his hand on Owain’s hip and drums his fingertips along his bone. “Alright then.  _ My _ turn.”

Owain side steps so that Niles can move past him. He picks up the ball and waits for the lane to reset… and he winks at Owain over his shoulders. Owain can’t even bring himself to sit down. He’s far too interested. He’s far too amazed. He set the bar high by getting a strike on the first throw, but Niles called it out like he’ll do the same. Is he good at this? Owain would believe it. Inigo says Xander’s family is good at literally everything. He said that he’s seen Niles complete complex figure skating jumps just for fun, just casually.

Niles draws his arm back to throw. Owain is torn between being incredibly excited to see his skill, and also realizing his heart hasn’t stopped racing since Niles nearly kissed him. Maybe if Niles gets these pins down, a victory kiss is in order?

Ah, but isn't Owain supposed to be breaking up with him? This isn't exactly going well.

In slow motion, it feels like, the ball flies from Niles’s hand and onto the lane. It travels fast, with purpose, and with no aim whatsoever… because it doesn’t even hit a pin before it rolls into the gutter sadly.

Niles turns back around with a swoop and his hands already tucked into his pockets. “Ah, well. I guess I’m bad at bowling after all.”

Owain’s laugh bubbles up out of his throat before he can stop it, but he’s really not mocking him! Perish the thought! The ball return spits the ball back out where he can try his second throw, and before he grabs it Owain touches his shoulder. He knows that his fingers pass over the marking on the back of it. It’s beneath his clothes, but Niles visibly tenses for a second as it happens. What an interesting magic that is.

“I can show you how! It’s simple, really.”

“I’m not interested in learning the perfect cast.”

Owain thinks he falls in love a little harder just knowing that Niles cracked a joke about a lesser known cartoon movie that genuinely shaped half of his childhood. He clears his throat. “Just a standard throw! My techniques are mastery you’ve not yet acquired.”

Niles relents and Owain steps behind him to show him how. The moment he does Niles hesitates. He turns to look at Owain over his shoulder, and his voice is so low that heat ripples through Owain’s chest. “Are you sure you’re not just trying to flirt with me, darling?”

Niles hasn’t called him that before and he’s clearly just being a tease but Owain has a brief out of body experience. What if this is all really real? Niles could be his forever. His darling, his babe, his dearest, his brat. Cute pet names that he always thought were unoriginal. Unimaginative. But he knows better now. Being called darling  _ just once _ has taught him something he should have known from the start. A title so powerful that it must be earned needs no creativity. It’s inherited and it is perfect in that simplicity.

It's only momentarily that he's having that out of body experience though because he's rightfully back in his body when Niles clicks his tongue and says "Alright. So be my guide. Show me how." He's rightfully in his body when Niles  _ somehow _ manages to weave his fingers through Owain’s while still ensuring that one of them is holding the ball.

Owain might never wash that hand again because he wants to remember Niles's warm fingertips braided through his and mingling with the cold of the pearly ball.

He doesn’t throw well. It’s just—well it’s cute and their little display got the attention of a couple onlookers, but you can’t actually throw with someone behind you. It’s not realistic. So Owain ultimately has to let go of his hand after a few guiding words, and Niles throws it just to get it done and over with… and it’s moving a little too slow. Not enough force.

Niles turns around to face Owain because he thinks its a lost cause, but then it strikes true and all the pins fall. A spare! Almost a strike—Owain is honestly such a good mentor. But more than that he’s so excited. “You did it!” He gasps and he throws his arms eagerly around Niles’s shoulders. Niles catches him… glances behind him in some disbelief… and then he laughs. A real laugh, not a snicker or a chuckle or something he can control. A gross belly laugh that makes his body shake against Owain’s and it’s  _ beautiful. _

_ But then they kiss. _

That’s twice as beautiful. Owain is  _ hungry  _ for it. His chest feels full and his skin tingles where there’s contact between them. He can’t help smiling wide, ruining the kiss with his grin. Niles nips his lower lip but then he pulls away.

“Owain,” Niles mumbles in a voice  _ too deep _ not to send sparklers through Owain’s mind. He tilts his eyes up and looks at Niles properly. The rest of the building is far away. There’s a dull hum of voices, of bowling pins, but all of his attention is drawn right to the tug and curve of Niles’s lips. “I know you came here to tell me we can’t do this right now.”

Oh. Well, yes, he did. And he knew Niles knew. Owain swallows, but his throat feels swollen suddenly. Niles nods his head. “It’s alright,” He says, “I know that’s what you were planning to say, but… what if you don’t.”

Owain hesitates. What if he doesn't? Well, then this can keep going. Niles can keep holding him, kissing him, showing him all these things he's only dared to imagine before. He was dumb. Owain was afraid of meeting his soulmate because he didn't want it to feel forced and boring. It doesn't. This is constantly an adventure, constantly feeling like he's about to have the best day of his life.

“I won’t say it.”

Niles cups his hand against the back of Owain’s neck and he pulls it forward so he can kiss the center of his forehead. “Good boy.”

…

Niles said they should take it slow. He didn’t want Owain to cut things off with him… because why should they? It’s not remotely Niles’s fault that Xander went and cut ties with the best thing that ever happened to him… and Owain won’t be a better or worse brother if he continues dating Niles even though Inigo is now, abruptly, single. Or well, he was.

Niles doesn't know that he is anymore. Since he swapped apartments to move Xander out of jail and into house arrest… well, how long could it possibly take before they fall back into each other’s arms?

He doesn’t have much time to worry about them. Niles’s world is busy quickly. He’s uprooted, moving in with Owain, rearranging his life. They have their own rooms, of course. They aren’t so deep into their relationship that they didn’t want their personal space.

Or, well, Owain already had a room and taking Inigo’s room seemed right. Niles wants… to spend his time in Owain’s room. It scares him how much he wants it. Being with him all the time, spending his nights curled up in his warmth and listening to him breathe… that’s what Niles really needs. It’s just that they can’t do that. They wanted to take their relationship slower. They wanted to get to know each other.

Getting to know Owain better is what got him into this mess of meeting his family anyway.

Niles sort of expected Maribelle to judge him. He knows that she's a lawyer, she's very strict, and that she doesn't think too highly of Xander right now. Although to be fair, Xander is in a heap of legal trouble and broke Inigo's heart. Maybe that gives Niles an advantage. He didn't do anything to anyone yet.

And never will, if he can help it. He wants to be with Owain all the time, he wants to make every breath, make every second count.

He expected Maribelle to judge him, but she doesn’t seem all that bothered by him. In fact, it's Lissa who won’t stop buzzing around him and giving him a stink eye. “He’s the  _ baby _ of this family I hope you know," she says. Niles smirks. Owain groans. 

“Mother! That’s hardly fair—Inigo is older than me by one  _ month _ . You never gave him this sort of trouble. Besides--I’m a grown man!”

“As long as you live in this house you’re my baby,” Lissa corrects him. She resumes giving Niles a stink eye. Owain doesn’t mention that he  _ doesn’t _ live in that house. He moved out ages ago.

And Niles moved in with him, so there they are. Maribelle is situated on the sofa across from them. There’s a dainty tea table between the couches and a tea set on a silver tray. She’s helping herself to some tea. Niles doesn’t particularly want any. He’s not a fan. “So then, tell me, how are you two doing? Moving in together on such a whim can’t be easy. Even for soulmates. After all, Inigo already told us that he all but forced you to do it.”

Is he supposed to agree that it’s not easy, or is he supposed to argue that it wasn’t that hard to  _ force him _ to do anything? Niles clears his throat. “It isn’t that different.”

“It’s not like we’re sharing a room, Ma,” Owain says. He doesn’t reach for any tea either but he does lean down and pick up a chocolate chip cookie. Niles doesn’t know who made them but they certainly look homemade. Owain breaks it in half and passes part to him.

Cute.

“I should certainly hope not. I don’t like to imagine you would need to do anything to endanger your virtue.”

Owain chokes on his cookie. He stands up, too, in a jagged, swift action, and he stumbles to walk away from the conversation and admire a plant. Niles glances back at Maribelle only to find her smirking into her tea. Ah, he realizes with a sneaky grin. She  _ does _ have a sense of humor buried under all of that prim and proper.

“But really, dear, if you two need anything just let us know. Moving Inigo out and moving you in must have caused for some unexpected losses. If you find you’ve suddenly got no bath towels or plates we can always find some for you.”

“Ma loves shopping,” Brady says.

“You know,” Lissa says, “You’re pretty well behaved for someone with a known potty mouth.”

Brady is sweet. He hugged Niles when he got there. He’s a doctor. He’s Owain and Inigo’s older brother. He looks a little like Owain even. It must be something else to have big families like Owain does, or like Leo does. Niles will have to keep a day planner just to remember everyone’s birthdays—hell, even just to remember names.

Lissa is sweet too and Niles is  _ sure of it _ but she keeps pushing awkward buttons. “Potty mouth?” He asks.

"Well, the mark on Owain's arm doesn't lie, dear," Maribelle clarifies. Owain wanders back but only to cross his arms and pout.

“That’s not very fair.”

Lissa shrugs her shoulders. “Fair, shmair. Nothing is fair to you today. I’m your mama! It’s my job to ask the big questions.”

“Mom,  _ I _ have a potty mouth,” Brady argues softly. “Even Ma does sometimes.”

“You take that back,” Maribelle raises her voice ever so slightly.

The rest of their time spent with Owain’s family isn’t unlike that. They bicker, they tease each other, and even though they poke fun it’s affectionate. It reminds Niles of Leo’s family, of the house he essentially grew up in. It reminds him of how carefree they used to be with each other before all of this happened. Before Xander complicated everything. He owes everyone a pretty huge apology. 

Still, it's nice. Niles finds that he genuinely loves Owain's family. Maribelle is his favorite, not that he'd tell anyone. She's feisty, he can tell. He's thinking about them a little bit on their drive home. The drive is only a few hours, but about partway through it, they decide to stop at a rest stop and stretch their legs. It's chilly. It's only late March, of course, so that's natural. Niles keeps his hands tucked into the pocket of his jacket while they walk, and Owain stays close at his side with his hands equally hidden.

“So,” Owain starts after a few moments pass. Niles already knows what he wants to talk about. “You survived. How… do you like them?”

_ I love them. _

Niles’s lips curl into a small smile. “They made it abundantly clear that you’re the crazy one in that family.”

“Hey!”

“I had a good time, Owain.” Niles bumps into Owain’s shoulder with his while they walk. Owain nearly topples over because he’s not expecting it, and as he exhales half a shout and half a laugh a cloud forms from his breath. “Do you remember when I said I wanted to take this slow?”

“If I recall,” Owain says, “It was just before we impulsively moved in together two months after we met.” He flashes Niles a grin and bumps into his shoulder. Gently. He isn’t trying to knock Niles off his feet. For what it’s worth, Niles wasn’t trying to knock Owain over either. He just fell because he wasn’t paying attention. It’s not as if he didn’t catch himself.

Niles doesn’t disagree. They have been anything but slow in their relationship so far. That’s sort of the point he’s trying to make. “Seems to me that everything is working out though, hmm? You know what they say about soulmates.”

Owain’s smile turns curious. Lopsided while he tries to figure out what Niles is talking about. Watching him sort through those thoughts, work through those curiosities… Niles wants to watch him for the rest of his life. “What… do they say?”

“They’re made for each other.”

“Oh.” Owain looks at the ground again, with a pink, pleasant blush painted over his freckles. “Two parts of a greater whole.”

“Am I your other half, Owain? I’m certain that you’re mine.” Niles’s voice is soft. Maybe because even with his own soulmate there’s always a little fear. What if he says no? What if he decides it’s not worth it? Even with those concerns whipping around his brain, Niles isn’t actually afraid. He knows what Owain is going to say before he says it.

“I intend to be the sun to your moon for always, Niles.”

Niles still breathes out a sigh of relief. “That’s good… because I was thinking we should get married.”

Owain's smile falls right off his lips. Instead, he sputters out half a protest. "Wh— _ Married?! _ I thought you wanted to take this slow?”

“I can admit my own faults.”

“ _ Niles _ ! Are you—what made you change your mind?”

Is it so obvious that he’s serious? Owain didn’t even bother finishing the question. Niles takes a breath and slows down. They’ve looped around the parking lot. The sound of gravel under their feet was reassuring, but he just wants to finish this conversation and get back to the car before they freeze out here. Owain notices that he’s stopped walking and he stops too… and Niles shrugs his shoulders helplessly.

“I’m in love with you  _ right now _ . Why should we have to wait?”

It’s not a good argument. Niles isn’t sure this is going to go well. He’s not sure why he actually said that out loud with his mouth. No one in their right mind proposes three months into a relationship. No one in their right mind proposes in a parking lot on a whim either. He must be crazy. If he is it’s because Owain drove him to it.

But Owain turns to him and swings his arms up to wrap around his shoulders. Slowly he starts to sway, like a slow dance but really all he does is bring Niles closer to him. A warm, fluid, calm embrace. He’s got that big grin on his face. It’s not fair how cute that is—Niles can’t even cope with it. “You’re right, of course. It would be wrong of me to stand in the way of our destiny.”

“Well I do tend to be right,” Niles hums right back. Owain leans close and nuzzles his cold nose against Niles’s neck. Niles wraps his arms around Owain’s chest and squeezes him close in another hug.

Their destiny. This is what’s meant to happen, right? This is his soulmate. This is the writing down his back. This is his rainy day, his sunshine, his good days, his bad. Right here. This moron. Niles wouldn’t have it any other way.


End file.
